Arunachal Pradesh: First bird festival to be held in 2014

Jorhat, Aug 29: The endangered bird species of India are finally going to get some attention. Arunachal Pradesh will host its first bird festival in the first week of February next year in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in West Kameng district.

At an altitude of 500-3,500 meters from the sea level, the scenic beauty and the diversity of flora and fauna is unmatchable. The bird festival will focus on promoting the rich diversity of the region, keeping tourism in mind.

The star attraction of the show is likely to be a new species of bird Bugun Liocichla, which was discovered in 2006. Belonging to the rare Liocichla species, found only in a few mountains of central China, there are said to be just 7 pairs in the sanctuary.

However, apart from these babblers, one can also find 450 species of birds including herons, black storks, ducks, hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, falcons, pheasants, jungle fowl, quails, woodpeckers, warblers and cormorants.

"We are expecting a large number of tourists, including foreigners, during the festival," Millo Tasser, the divisional forest officer, Shergaon forest division, Rupa, said.

The authorities have organized a number of events for the occasion too. Some of them include a bird race for birdwatchers, painting competition for children and photography events. Hoping to attract visitors' attention, the authorities want the festival to become an annual one.

Jointly organised by the tourism and the forest department, with the help of Bugun Welfare Society, an NGO involved with the ecotourism here, the festival is expected to raise awareness about the Eaglenest.